Girls Nowadays Start Menstruation Earlier... Unexpected Cause Revealed

"Up to 4 Years Earlier Than 100 Years Ago"
Link Between Air Pollution and Precocious Puberty... Ewha Womans University Study

A study has found that air pollution is a cause of earlier onset of menarche in girls.

On the 8th, according to the British BBC and others, a recent report from the United States pointed to air pollution as one of the reasons why the age of menarche in girls is getting earlier.

BBC reported, "It is estimated that American women start menarche up to four years earlier than 100 years ago." According to the study, the average age of menarche for girls born in the early 2000s was 11.9 years, while for women born between 1950 and 1969, the average age was 12.5 years.

BBC explained that this trend is similarly observed worldwide and introduced research by a team from Ewha Womans University that examined the relationship between air pollution and precocious puberty. According to the researchers, the number of girls showing signs of precocious puberty, such as breast development or menarche before the age of 8, increased sixteenfold between 2008 and 2020.

The photo is not directly related to the article content. [Image source=Pixabay]

Polish researchers also conducted a study on 1,257 women and published in 2022 that nitrogen gases are associated with the onset of menarche before age 11.

Professor Audrey Gaskins and colleagues at Emory University in Atlanta, USA, released a study last October showing that heavy exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and particulate matter (PM10) during fetal or childhood stages can lead to earlier menarche.

Professor Gaskins explained, "Ultrafine particulate matter can easily enter the bloodstream and, when inhaled into the lungs, unlike larger particles, it is not filtered out and can reach organs." She added, "We confirmed that certain ultrafine particles accumulate in the placenta, fetal tissues, and ovaries." She further pointed out, "Early onset of puberty can affect adulthood, such as causing earlier menopause or shortening the reproductive period."

Professor Brenda Eskenazi of the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) said, "I believe that only the tip of the iceberg has been revealed regarding how various factors like climate change affect child development," adding, "Environmental pollutants, obesity, and psychological and social factors may be complex factors that lower the age of menarche."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.